Monday, November 11, 2013

Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods

November 12. 12 p.m. A Minnesota gardener will discuss his indoor aquaponics vegetable gardening system that produces plants such as lettuce, leafy vegetables and herbs that are raised symbiotically with the fish. The fish provide fertilizer for the plants while the plants clean the water for the fish in a closed-loop system. For more information or to register, contact Jeff Beneke, working group coordinator, (319) 273-3850, jeff.beneke@uni.edu.

Organic Dry Bean Production Webinar

November 12. 1 p.m. Join eOrganic for a webinar on Organic Dry Bean Production Systems and Cultivar Choices, by Thomas Michaels, Craig Sheaffer Claire Flavin, and Hannah Swegarden of the University of Minnesota. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 2PM Eastern Time (1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific Time). It is free and open to the public, and advance registration is required. Participants will be able to type in questions for the speaker. http://www.extension.org/pages/69284/organic-dry-bean-production-systems-and-cultivar-choices#.UoALT3CkqAY

November 12. This webinar will give participants an overview of pastured poultry operation including management techniques, facilities, challenges, and opportunities. Learn the many different considerations these producers face, how organic certification changes management, and opportunities for support from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The webinar is presented by Terrell ‘Spence’ Spencer, Farmer/Owner, Across the Creek Farm, West Fork, Arkansas. This webinar is sponsored by the USDA NRCS East and West National Technology Support Centers. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/pastured-poultry-and-conservation-planning

IOIA Webinar: Verifying Compliance to NOP Pasture Rule

November 13. This essential session for the Livestock Inspector or Reviewer will prepare participants to verify compliance with the NOP Pasture Rule. The presenter is experienced organic and biodynamic inspector Sarah Flack, of Vermont. The 200 level course, a three-hour webinar, is geared for inspectors with an understanding of livestock inspection. Participants must have approval from IOIA to sign up if they have not taken the Basic IOIA Livestock Inspection course or a 100-level Livestock Standards Webinar. http://www.ioia.net/schedule_web.html#pasture1113

Setting up a Community Chicken Flock

November 14th. 6pm Central. With the growing interest in local food, community poultry flocks are becoming popular. Dr. Brigid McCrea at Delaware State University will be discussing things to consider when setting up a community egg production flock.

November 14. Linn, Kansas. The workshop conducted by Kansas Rural Center is free of charge. Participants are welcome to come for just the morning or just the afternoon session, or both. The morning session (9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.) will focus on "whole farm planning" using KRC's River Friendly Farm Environmental Assessment notebook and planning tool. After lunch, the workshop will feature presentations from Kansas State University Ag Economist, Mykel Taylor on leasing and tenant agreements, and pasture and cropland leasing price ranges, as well as an update on land prices. Following Taylor will be Forrest Buhler, staff attorney for the Kansas Agricultural Mediation Service (KAMS) who will provide an overview of estate planning dos and don'ts. From 3:30 to roughly 5 p.m. there will be a tour of forage cover crops at the nearby farm of Lucinda and Sheila Stuenkel. http://kansasruralcenter.org/whole-farm-planning-workshop-for-women-only/

November 14. In this free eOrganic webinar, Dr. Darrell Emmick will address the keys of maximizing plant-herbivore interactions through behavior-based grazing management, defined as the incorporation of behavioral principles in grazing management planning to enhance animal well-being, ecosystem health, and enterprise sustainability. The webinar is free and open to the public and advance registration is required. http://www.extension.org/pages/69086

Empowering Women Veterans Conference

November 14-17. Louisville, Kentucky. The Farmer Veteran Coalition cordially invites all women who have served in the Armed Forces, are still serving, and women who are farming to participate in the 2nd Annual Empowering Women Veterans Conference. This event will focus on equipping women veterans with the business and farming tools they need to begin and achieve their entrepreneurial goals. Over 100 women will be brought together from around the country to make new friends and form community. http://www.farmvetco.org/

November 15th. 1:30pm. Matching the nitrogen and phosphorus content of manure to crops needs can be a challenge. Due to the volatile nature of nitrogen in manure, often times the N:P ratio is not aligned with crop needs. Applying manure to meet the nitrogen needs often results in excess phosphorus application. This webcast is the first in a series of 3 webcasts that will provide information on: the need to capture nutrients for recycling off-farm, global phosphorus supplies, and technologies that are being used on-farm to capture nitrogen and phosphorus from manure.

"The Keystone Pipeline: Observations on geology, society, and the Nebraska Geological Survey."

SNR Research Seminar - Matt Joeckel. Wednesday, November 13th. 3:30 pm-4:30 pm. Dr. Matt Joeckel, Professor and Research Geologist in the Conservation and Survey Division at the School of Natural Resources will present a seminar entitled "The Keystone Pipeline: Observations on geology, society, and the Nebraska Geological Survey." http://snr.unl.edu/aboutus/when/seminarseries.asp?seminarseriesid=22#seminar10

Legal and Financial Clinic

Thursday, November 14th. North Platte. Thursday, November 14. Norfolk. Friday, November 15. Valentine. Call the Farm Hotline at 800-464-0258 to sign up.

Farminar: Efficient Crop Marketing and Distribution of Local Foods

Tuesday, November 12th. Ready to explore a new distribution business to help increase efficiency and amount of local food available in nearby communities? Learn from an established local food distributor now entering its seventh year, hear an Iowa beginning farmer’s vision for her food distribution company, and then listen as the two discuss considerations when creating a local food delivery business. To participate: Go to www.practicalfarmers.org/farminar.

Cover Crops Field Day

Thursday, November 14. Stanton, IA. Looking to learn more about cover crops? Want to see cover crops which were flown into a standing crop or drilled this fall? Looking to learn about more advanced cover cropping ideas? Attend a Practical Farmers of Iowa and Iowa Learning Farms field days this fall. Events are free to attend and a meal is included. View cover crops and hear about ways to improve your success with cover crops and why they are so important for our farms. Contact Erica Andorf with Practical Farmers of Iowa at 515-232-5661 or Liz Juchems at 515-294-5429 with Iowa Learning Farms for more information.

Opportunities

Food Safety Modernization Act Tool Kit Available

Everyone has a role in ensuring safe food from field to fork. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the first major overhaul of our nation’s food safety practices since 1938, and it includes new regulations for produce farms and for facilities that process food for people to eat. It represents some big changes to our food system – and it is extremely important for the Food and Drug Administration to get these regulations right. The comment period deadline is November 15, 2013. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has compiled a comprehensive tool kit to help organizations, farmers, and consumers respond to the FDA’s food safety regulations by the November 15th deadline. As currently written the regulations pose challenges to sustainable farmers and processors throughout the country. Speak out now! Click here for details, http://sustainableagriculture.net/fsma/

Seed Survey

The USFSA (Food Sovereignty Alliance) has compiled a survey for farmers, gardeners, eaters, organizations and others who saves seeds to address growing concerns about the ongoing loss of biodiversity, including heritage/indigenous/naturalized crops.The information gathered from the survey will help USFSA to determine if/when/how/where we promote our own seed bank. The survey is written in English and in Spanish, and all contact info will remain confidential. Email William at healthyfarms@gmail.com for a copy of the survey or for any questions or concerns.

Portable Grain Dryer

Does anyone have a portable grain dryer to sell or lease? I found on the internet a grain chief dryer of about 250 bu capacity with LP heat. The ad was two years old. Something like that. I have 1300 bu of millet to dry down. Thanks. Carl B. Engstrom 402-327-9936

Live Goose Wanted

I have a friend wanting a goose (no particular breed, preferably female) to join her male for a companion on her farm north of Denton. She has had the male for about 8 years (lost the 2 others that she had). Amber, adhollmann@gmail.com

Seeking Land Options

As another growing season ends, two farmers are graduating from the Community CROPS' training farm at Prairie Pines. Both Carla Stormberg and Mohamed Jalloh have been farming for the last three years and are looking to find land to continue their operations on. Both grow vegetables for restaurants, grocery stores and other speciality markets in the Lincoln area. Carla and Mohamed are interested in renting 1/4 an acre or more of crop land 10-20 minutes out side of Lincoln. They both live on the north-west side of town and are interested in places between Lincoln and Raymond, Emerald or Denton. Please contact them directly at their emails (carlastormberg@gmail.com and lamaemjay@yahoo.com) if you know of land option that might be a good fit for them.

Non GMO Yellow Corn for Sale

I have approximately 9,000 bushels of Non GMO yellow corn for sale. This should be ready to harvest the last week of October. I don't have storage or a truck to haul it, so I need some buyers who can come and get it as it is harvested. This field is south of Utica. Email me, cherylrrichter@gmail.com or call 402-617-1718.

Alfalfa & Straw Needed

I want to buy 18 alfalfa bales (4th cutting) and 12 straw bales. I also require delivery, because I don't have a trailer and thus couldn't pick them up. If anyone can help, please give me a call at 402-217-2797. Dan Hromas

Friends:I am looking for a couple of items for our operation. I'd appreciate if anyone knows of the following that might be for sale in the region, in good working order:1. Head-gate for working cattle. 2. Mulch-layer, towed behind tractor for laying plastic mulch for planting beds. Merlin Friesen, friesenfarm@yahoo.com

Upcoming

13th Annual Iowa Organic Conference

November 17-18. Iowa City, Iowa. An event directed towards organic and conventional farmers, Extension staff, industry representatives, and students who want to learn more about science-based research in organic agriculture and practical applications for your farming system. There will be 15 workshop sessions, over 40 educational and industry exhibits on display, a film showing of “GMO-OMG” and a keynote presentation provided by Bob Quinn. Click here for more information. http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/organicconference2013.html

Increasing Profits While Regenerating Resources

Dates from November 18th to November 21st. Locations in Sidney, Curtis, Auburn, Hastings, Scotia, Norfolk, Chadron, and Ainsworth. Seehttp://www.nebraskagrazinglands.org/ for more information, including time, location, and how to register.